Users of information technology are increasingly required to accomplish more and more tasks through their computers. Examples of such tasks include, but are not limited to, responding to electronic messages, reviewing documents, drafting documents, sending or responding to communications, or any other typical tasks accomplished by information workers through their computers, mobile phones, or other electronic devices.
The growth in electronic communications allows individuals and businesses to communicate more efficiently and to a degree not previously conceivable by prior communication mediums. E-mail and other forms of electronic messaging have almost completely supplanted telephonic, written, and in-person modes of communication on a day to day basis. The onset of social networking platforms, as well as the mobile web, has further driven the extent to which society relies on communication via electronic messaging. A variety of platforms, software solutions, and service providers exist to facilitate such electronic messaging. Meanwhile, users have sought out ways to organize and manage the completion of other tasks through applications and programs that provide task list management solutions.
In the context of E-mail, numerous providers of E-mail services exist. Most large corporations host their own E-mail servers for managing E-mail. Many online services, such as Hotmail (Microsoft), Gmail (Google), or Yahoo! provide hosted E-mail solutions to individual consumers and businesses.
Conventional methods for interfacing with electronic messaging systems typically involve the use of an inbox where new messages appear. A user opens a window in a program or navigates to a particular website, and is presented with a listing of messages. The user may then open a particular message, delete it, archive it, move it into a different folder or label it in some fashion. Typically, users may read a particular message, and then simply leave the message in their inbox.
While most E-mail programs refer to the default folder or collection for new messages as an “inbox”, the concept of an “inbox” can be generalized to situations where a folder is not explicitly labeled as an “inbox”. An inbox is simply a collection of electronic messages. The messages may be new messages, unread messages, read messages, or combination of new, unread, or read messages. Some E-mail programs allow users to set “rules” for managing E-mail. These rules can automatically route new messages to different folders or collections without placing the message in the folder or collection labeled by default as the “inbox.” In such situations, the folder or collection to which the new message is routed may act as an inbox.
The growth of electronic messaging has introduced novel problems in regards to how best to efficiently and effectively use electronic messaging at a large scale. For example, employees can spend up to three hours a day simply using their E-mail programs, applications, or interfaces to send, reply, or just manage their E-mail.
Conventional methods for effectively managing the growing number of electronic messages accumulating in inboxes include setting “rules” for management and routing of E-mail, automatically deleting E-mails, applying spam filters, refusing E-mail from certain senders, only allowing E-mail from certain senders, labeling certain E-mails as important, dragging E-mails into pre-determined folders, or labeling messages for future reference, action, or for archival purposes. Additionally, some individuals apply different methodological approaches to handling their E-mail in order to maximize efficiency. One such approach is the “inbox zero” methodology, which dictates that users attempt to maintain an inbox without any messages in it. Applying this method, a user immediately acts upon each E-mail in an inbox until all are removed from the inbox. For example, a user may log on to his electronic messaging service provider and discover 5 new messages. Applying the “inbox zero” methodology the user deletes 3 of the messages, replies to one message and then archives it, and drags the last message into a folder which might be labeled “For Follow Up” or something similar for future action. At the end of this session, the user has zero messages in his inbox, and will thus presumably have a small number of new messages awaiting him or her upon next log on. Applying such a methodology reduces the risk that at any particular moment in time the user will suffer from “E-mail overload”. E-mail overload comprises a state where the inbox becomes so full with new messages that the user becomes incapable of properly addressing each message. E-mail overload can lead to loss of productivity, unnecessary stress, or missing important information and deadlines.
Conventional methods for effectively managing tasks also do not provide effective incentives for users to complete tasks effectively and efficiently. Typical software solutions that encourage the completion of tasks include various providers of task-list software. This software allows users to set deadlines, list tasks, and schedule reminders. Such solutions include Microsoft Office's “Tasks” feature, Google Inc.'s “Google Tasks” service, and the “Remember the Milk” service available at http://www.rememberthemilk.com. Present solutions however, do not provide for an effective and fun method for enticing the completion of tasks.